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  We later found out that it took them two days to get the bull out of the coop. He killed ten chickens, ruined two rows in Mrs. Rawlings garden, and to this day if we show up in the field to cross it. We just step out with Spud and the bull will run to the other end of the pasture. Spud can bark at him, or act like he is going to run toward him and the big thing will collapse and start to moan. I guess him staying two days cooped up made him a chicken.

  Chapter Four – Tragedy

  Since this is the first story I am writing about my dog, I needed to cover the bases first. I could go on to tell you about the coons, snakes, possums, cats, and many other things that spud has protected me from. I could tell you about the many funny things that he did, and I may one day.

  I just wanted to tell you a few to show you the character of my dog. He never would hurt or bother anything, (except rabbits, he hates them) unless they would try to hurt me first. Or, unless he thought I was in danger. I loved this dog more than anything else, and I would do anything for this dog, and I believe the feeling was mutual. This chapter is true to say that it was a tragedy.

  It started out as any summer day, hot, and humid. School was out and we were ready for another empty summer day. To use on whatever we wanted. We had started with usual morning chores and had the rest of the day ahead of us. I finished everything Mom had wanted me to do, and we had decided to go and catch supper at the creek. This was a normal occurrence for me.

  We had told mama we were going to the usual fishing spot about mile from the house. No big deal and was something normal. We got to the spot where we always fished and sat down and started to fish.

  I got restless after a few hours, because the fish weren’t biting and I wanted to start walking up the creek. I looked at Spud and told him, “Spud let’s walk up the creek.”

  He barked in return, which meant yes.

  We walked for a little bit, and I would point out stuff to Spud and he would act like he was listening to what I was saying. We seen many different birds, watched a snake slither into the brush. Seen pools that were so deep, you could tell by the deep blue tint to the water. I really don’t know what had got a hold of me; I just kept going farther and farther upstream. I wasn’t worried about getting lost; just follow the stream back to where you were earlier. I kept telling myself.

  I saw a log that was stretched out over a deep pool of water, and started to go across it. Thinking to myself this would be a great spot to fish, the deep holes produced the bigger fish anyway. Spud started to bark as if he didn’t like what I was doing.

  I turned to him and said, “It is ok buddy, I will be careful.”

  It appeased him some and he sat on the bank staring at me, I remember looking at him and thinking what a good dog to worry about me. Then my foot slipped and I fell. I hit the back of my head hard on the tree, and I felt myself falling. I hit the icy water and I was scared, blackness closed around me. I was still conscious I could hear barking. I could barely hear and I thought I heard my Mom saying, “Please God, give us our boy back.”

  Then I felt myself being dragged toward the top of the water and up on the bank. That’s when I lost all consciousness.

  I remember waking up in the middle of the night, I heard the night sounds. The crickets chirping, the occasional owl, the coyotes, I could not forget the coyotes. There lonesome cry, I tried to move but felt something hairy beside me. I tried to get up, to get it away from it, it whimpered and licked my hand, and I collapsed and fell to the ground passing out once again, thinking if it was a coyote I didn’t care I couldn’t help myself.

  I remember dreaming while I lay there, that I was falling again, and the pain in my head was almost unbearable. I could feel myself being drug up the bank and then I would fall again. I would open my eyes to see the sky moving as I was being drug across the ground.

  Then it would stop momentarily, I could hear panting, and a wet tongue would lick my head and face, and I would hear whimpering. Then I would pass out again.

  The next time I awoke it was dark again. I began to try to think of what happened. I lay there trying to remember, I had to remember. Then it slowly came back to me, I had fell while on the log, hit my head and fell into the water. Yes, my head it was hurting, I reached up and touched it feeling a ball of leaves stuck to it and then I was sick.

  It was dark but I could see the gray line that appears before dawn. I laid there until it began to lighten a little and I could see my surroundings. I slowly sat up and tried to crawl toward a tree that was close by and leaned against it.

  My head was pounding and I got dizzy, where was I? I couldn’t see the creek but it was there, I could hear its trickle. The spot where I fell was nowhere near this place. It was different. I didn’t know how long I had been gone, I could not remember. I needed to remember, I started to cry, a soft, quiet cry.

  I looked up to see something move, I saw something walking toward me from the distance. My heart began to pound which caused my head to hurt and I felt myself passing out again. As I fell away from the tree I was sitting against, I heard the bark.

  Chapter Five – Touch-and-Go

  “John, Paula I have done all that I can do, I am sorry. If your boy makes it, you can thank the good Lord, not me.” Dr. Cooper said.

  “Thank you, Dr. Cooper; we know you have done your best.” Said my Dad as my Mom began to cry.

  “The wound on his head was deep and he lost too much blood, I bandaged it and he is resting peacefully, I will stay another hour or so, and then come back in the morning.” He said.

  “Ok, we thank you for your help; can we go see him now?” My Dad asked.

  “Yes, that would be fine,” he told my Dad as he started to gather his things.

  My Dad told me that him and my Mom went back to see me and they both began to cry, and prayed silently as they held my hands. I don’t remember any of this.

  They said it had been two days since I went missing, they looked downstream and upstream. Just not far enough, they were looking upstream when they heard Spud barking. He was dragging me through the woods toward them. He stopped and barked until they heard him and came running. They were all crying, and thanking God, but as soon as my Dad seen my head, he made everyone back away. He then carried me to the house and went for Dr. Cooper. Mom stayed by my side crying and praying. She said I was white as a sheet, and I would wake up crying.

  She said Spud sat by the front door whimpering, he just laid around, almost as he was waiting for me to come outside.

  This is where we are presently. Lying on my bed with Dr. Cooper saying the only way I was going to make it was for the good Lord.

  My Dad stopped and went to the window and looked out toward chicken coop. Crying, he looked out the window, and took a deep breath.

  Spud had been wondering around the whole day just waiting for me to come running out. He was almost overflowing with worry about me. He had ran around the house, out to the cow shed, and the chicken coop. That’s when he saw my Dad standing at the window. He ran toward it, and looked up at my dad.

  My Dad looked down and seen Spud standing there, with that goofy grin on his face. My Dad smiled and looked down at him and said, “Spud, I could never thank you for doing what you did, but we are not through this yet,” he said as he cried lightly. “I never heard of a dog dragging a boy that far just to save his life.” My Mom had walked over and they both began to cry, as I lay there unconscious. I came to slightly and remembered the bark I heard when I passed out last time. I knew who it was that was coming towards me.

  Then as if it was coming to me again I said, “Spud.”

  That’s all it took, he heard me say his name. He crouched and lifted through the air toward the open window. He didn’t care who got in his way he heard me say his name, and being overran with worry. He cleared the open window, and knocked both of my parents down who had turned to run to my side. Dad and Mom just sat there in shock. They could not believe what they were seeing.

  Spud ha
d ran over to my bed, and jumped up with his front paws on the bed began to lick my face. I eased my eyes open and seen my dog, the dog that had saved my life. I reached over and put my hand on his head. “Good Boy, you saved my life,” I said and started to cry. My parents gathered in around me and Spud got pushed away. They began to thank the Lord as Spud just stood there with that goofy grin and wagging his tail, happy to be with me.

  Dr. Cooper had stood there watching the whole thing. He made the remark to my parents, “a dog is a man’s best friend.”

  My parents began to look around for Spud a few minutes later. “Where did he go?”Dad said.

  I had seen him earlier with his front paws on the window sill, he got that look like he seen a rabbit. I then saw him sail out the window.

  “Rabbit,” I said weakly.

  My dad walked to the window and started laughing; as if watching something comical.

  “You were right he is chasing a rabbit, you sure do know you’re dog.” He said.

  He then got a worried look and took off out of the room running. I heard later the rabbit had ran through the pasture, through the fence, through the garden, and through the clothesline, and under the chicken coop. That was ok, except they passed by the cow in the pasture. Now we have a cow that is chicken.

  The End

  I would like to announce that there will be a second book about Spud. This book was short, but it was an opener to a series that have had in mind. It will be released this fall. I am currently working on a book called Prince Sams’on. I will include the first chapter in this book. Be looking for more books from author C. T. Raye. Please rate us wherever you downloaded this eBook and thank you for reading.

  I have included the first chapter to the next book in this series. Please continue reading.

  Chapter One – A Hot Day

  I remember thinking to myself, could it get any hotter. It was so hot outside, and you could not get away from the heat. It was hot before daylight and it stayed hot after it got dark. You would start to sweat just by thinking. It was so hot that the eggs were frying before we could them out of the hen house, and the milk was soured before we got it out of the cow. Well, I might be exaggerating a little, but it was extremely hot.

  Dad had told me that cooler weather should be starting very soon. He also explained to me that it being so close to winter and still so hot, that if a hard cold front was to move in that it could possibly cause a twister. I understood some about tornadoes because we had learned about them at school. At the present time that was the least of my worries. I had to get some relief from the heat.

  I guess the reason the heat stood out so bad is because mom would not let me go down to the creek swimming. She informed me that I was still recovering from my fall. I told her I was fine, but who can convince a mother of something like that when she nearly lost her son. Who knows I may never be able to go to the creek. I was doing great and with no severe side effects. I would have occasional headaches and would get weak. All of which Dr. Cooper said was normal. He was not on my side either and that didn’t help my case at all.

  No amount of talking would convince her otherwise. Her mind was made up and there was no changing it. So I got to sit around and suffocate in this intense heat. I also had the privilege of keeping the flies out of the house. This could be very fun and amusing if you made a game out of it, and now you see exactly how bored I was at the time.

  Killing the flies could be somewhat difficult. There were some flies that you could get on the first try. They would get into the house and land on the kitchen table or the wall. SMACK, one swing one kill. Then there were others that you would move in to swing your fly swat and they would fly at the last moment. It took sitting still for a long time to kill these little boogers. I would sit there until it would land close and then swing and get the kill.

  At this present moment I was trying to kill the boss of all flies. He was big and green, and normally these were slower and easier to swat. Not him. I chased him all over the house. I had swatted at him probably a dozen times or more. I would get so close but only to hear him buzz off into another room.

  I finally had him right where I wanted him this time. He had landed about three steps away from me. He was sitting on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. I knew he was mine, but he was just out of my reach. I took one slow step forward, so slow that it felt like twenty minutes had passed. I had sweat pouring down my forehead and my back and I knew this was my big chance.

  I raised my arm slowly and when I had it stretched all the way. I stopped squinted one eye and took my aim. I then came down with all my might toward my trophy. I had him this time. I thought.

  About the time I was coming down on this fly. My best friend in the whole world came running into the house and into the kitchen. His entry scared the fly and it flew off the chair. I stopped and just stared at Spud. All that time wasted on that fly that he just scared away. Then I listened as the fly made his way around the room. The loud buzz was so annoying.

  I watched as Spud’s ears perked and he was watching the fly. His head would jerk as the fly buzzed around the room. The he jumped and snapped the air. I listened and the buzzing had stopped. I stared at this dog that in less than one minute had killed a fly I had chased all day.

  “You are so dumb!” I said as I dropped the fly swat.

  He sat and stared at me with that look that asked. ‘What have you been doing?’

  “Mom I am going outside and if you ever need any more flies killed. Call Spud he will take care of them.” I said as I walked out the front door.

  Spud was following close behind me with his pink tongue hanging out of his mouth. Most people have duck dogs, quail dogs, or sheep dogs. I had myself an original, one of a kind fly dog. You couldn’t just pick one of these dogs up anywhere.

  I sat down on the edge of the front porch and looked up at the sky. It had changed and it wasn’t quite as hot. There was a slight breeze blowing and I could see a line of dark clouds in the distant sky. I had a feeling that we were in for some weather.

  To be Released Fall 2014

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